Development and validation of a presidential leadership instrument

Studies on public perception of presidential leadership using quantitative methods are rarely found in the literature of political and social psychology, including in Indonesia. This research aims to develop and validate an instrument for public perception of presidential leadership, based on Greenstein’s theory of presidential leadership (2000; 2005; 2009). The study involved 565 respondents. The results demonstrate that the items measuring public perceptions of presidential leadership show a high reliability coefficient of 0.955. The measurement tool is suitable for use, as its dimensions range from 0.795 to 0.94, which falls within the acceptable range. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the six characteristics. The analysis showed that 27 items provided the best and most parsimonious fit to the data. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis—RMSEA = 0.039; SRMR = 0.029; CFI = 1.00; TLI = 0.99; and GFI = 0.94—indicate good marginal and model fit, thus supporting the internal validity of the instrument. The scale has potential for use in future studies examining public perception of presidential leadership. Directions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.